摘要

無論是莎士比亞傳記的作者還是舉世聞名的研究莎翁學者Schoenbaum皆認為, 人們對 “莎劇的作者到底是誰” 的懷疑與爭論乃源自於十九世界中葉。然而, 事實上反對者早在1592年Robert Greene的作品Groat Worth of Wit中早已有懷疑莎士比亞身分的蛛絲馬跡。在這段期間, 許許多多的作家、讀者都對那位來自Stratford未受過高等教育與沒有顯赫家世背景的“莎士比亞”,能否孕育出在質量與學識上名震古今的創世鉅作, 而感到深深地懷疑。

在本篇論文中, 我將把“到底誰是莎士比亞”這個問題與爭論再次做一番檢驗與探討。文章引用了Sylvan Barnet跟Samuel Schoenbaum兩位早在此問題上著眼的學者之觀點, 尤其就他們兩位對那些挑戰莎士比亞身分問題的攻擊提出反駁。同時, 我也借用Charlton Ogburn與近期作家Mark Anderson兩位的看法, 他們對莎士比亞身分妾身未明或者另有其人(Edward de Vere)的論點做一番分析與說明。在結論部份, 也會就目前現今到底哪方的說法較為可信提出最後的評論與總結。
關鍵字: 莎士比亞, 研究莎翁學者, 作者, 懷疑, 爭論, 懷疑莎士比亞身分, 到底誰是莎士比亞, 反駁, 莎士比亞身分妾身未明, 另有其人

Abstract

To listen to noted Shakespeare biographer and scholar Samuel Schoenbaum, the question of who actually wrote the plays of William Shakespeare does not even come up until the mid-nineteenth century. However, those who do not believe that William Shakespeare wrote the plays attributed to him, find evidence for this skepticism as early as the first recorded reference to William Shakespeare as actor and writer of bombastic speeches for the stage, Greene’s Groat Worth of Wit in 1592. There is, in fact, a long and detailed history of readers and scholars who have opposed the idea that a man of such humble beginnings and education as William Shakspeare could have produced some of world’s most learned and highest quality drama and poetry.
In my thesis I will examine the argument for the proposition that the man who wrote Shakespeare’s plays was one William Shakspeare (as his generally signed his name) of Stratford on Avon. In this exposition, I will draw primarily upon the work of Sylvan Barnet and Samuel Schoenbaum, both of whom have both specifically addressed this question of authorship and specifically attacked those who have challenged this identification. As well, I will review the arguments opposed to this identification of Shakespeare’s work with the Stratford man but go for the 17th Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere, drawing heavily upon the work of such authors as Charlton Ogburn and the more recent author Mark Anderson. In my conclusion I will give my opinion as to which side of the authorship question seems to present the most persuasive arguments.

Keywords: William Shakespeare, Samuel Schoenbaum, skepticism, Greene’s Groat Worth of Wit, William Shakspeare, Stratford on Avon, drama, Sylvan Barnet, authorship, identification, the 17th Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere, Charlton Ogburn, Mark Anderson, authorship question

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